The present invention relates to a method for tracking an object, especially a subsea object, there being used a mother vessel or an intermediate craft equipped with sonars for transmission and reflection of searching rays which on a display on the vessel indicate one or more objects in the subsea searching field.
The invention also relates to a device for this purpose.
The invention finds application for tracking any object, but will in the following be disclosed in connection with a special field of application, namely in connection with the removal of mines.
The removal of mines from a surface vessel includes a plurality of activities or problems. First of all the vessel has to detect the object for thereby enabling classification and thereafter destroying the object.
Today this is done by a combination of a hull mounted sonar for the detection/classification, ROV for visual classification/inspection and thereafter launching and detonation of the charge.
This process is time consuming because it requires a visual inspection from the ROV. After the ROV has positioned the charge, it must be brought to a safe distance before the charge is detonated. In addition, the charge must be large because it is a requirement to avoid a too close proximity between the mine and the costly ROV.